New England / East coast transplants living in Albuquerque/Santa Fe area (Las Cruces: house, landscaping)

[BeantownJoe]

Just curious if there are any transplants living in the Albuquerque/Santa Fe area and how they like it?

I am ready for a change. I am looking for a decent size city that has nearby skiing and hiking. Albuqerque seems to fit the bill.

I am curious though, since I have grown up with green and trees my whole life, if the desert geography is something I am going to have trouble getting used to.

Also, I know the East coast can be full of type-A, ambitious, people. Albuquerque seems to be a lot more laid back. Any issues adjusting to that?

Any information is appreciated. Thanks.

[Champ le monstre du lac]

Originally Posted by BeantownJoe

Just curious if there are any transplants living in the Albuquerque/Santa Fe area and how they like it?

I'm from Salem, Mass and I moved here almost two years ago. I've enjoyed it mostly and certainly glad I came out but it's not somewhere I'd want to settle permanently.

Originally Posted by BeantownJoe

I am ready for a change. I am looking for a decent size city that has nearby skiing and hiking. Albuqerque seems to fit the bill.
I am curious though, since I have grown up with green and trees my whole life, if the desert geography is something I am going to have trouble getting used to.

ABQ is a decent sized city yes and has all the basic necessities one could need. Just bare in mind any big league ammenites you are use to having around Boston might be missing, and both Denver and Phoenix are a good 6-7 hours drive from here.

Good skiing and hiking, sure we have it in spades here. I've made some awesome road trips around here, one of my favorite is up around Durango, CO which is about a 4 hour drive away. The Million Dollar Highway up that way has knock your socks off kind of mountain scenery. Here in NM, Taos is wonderful for hiking, scenery, and skiing. Even around Albuquerque from where I live it's a 10 minute drive to the Sandia Mountain foothill trails so the option is there for me to hike after work, I do love that! The Sandia Mountain foothills also have amazing mountain biking, and there are many paved bike trails all over the city as well.

Adapting to desert scenery depends on how open minded you are to embrace how different it is out here. I absolutely LOVE the big skies out here. Most of New England is covered in tree canopy so you don't get that effect back there, here you can see forever out on the big horizons, and the sunsets are just stellar.

Originally Posted by BeantownJoe

Also, I know the East coast can be full of type-A, ambitious, people. Albuquerque seems to be a lot more laid back. Any issues adjusting to that?

It is indeed a LOT more laid back out here and it's mostly a good thing. Just remember this is the land of mañana meaning productivity can be quite a bit slower which can be a little annoying at times, but yeah it sure beats the rat race back there.

On a side note, the culture and traditions out here are very cool from the food to festivals and holidays. It definitely feels very Christmas like around here with a lot of holiday spirit, especially around Santa Fe. They do a lot of lights, and their own luminarias. I love it!

Have you been out for a visit yet?

[aries63]

I lived in New England around 8 years (New York before that) and have been in ABQ 24 years.

Everyone is different. I agree with caphillsea77 that it depends on having an open mind and how adaptable you are. I tend to welcome change and adapt to wherever I go, but most people don't seem to. Only you can tell after living here for a while whether it's "for you" or not. You definitely need to cultivate a different state of mind here. For some people that is liberating, for others it is impossible.

I would compare my life back in NY/NE to that of a sardine, and here more of an eagle. You have plenty of breathing room here. When I go back to cities in the east I feel suffocated and wondered how I managed to live there. There is no going back for me.

There are pockets of green here so you don't have to go completely treeless. I also gravitate to parts of town that have mature trees, which are the older parts of town. Many newer developments have few trees and too much gravel landscaping for my taste.

For every "thing" back east that I miss here, I've found five new things here that I like just as much, if not better.

[Mavs00]

I would agree with a lot of what both posters above have said, with one exception........ I will settle here for good. Been here a year and I absolutely love it. Like Aries, I'm never going back.

Lived in Western NY for over 40 years. Grew tired of the endless winter gloom and East Coast attitude. The Mañana lifestyle here suits me to a "t" for several reasons. New Mexico is a "live and let live" state, so very few people really get up in your business on a personal level (neighbors & friends), which is a nice change of pace. Also, more practically, because this attitude is so persuasive out here, if you come out here to work with even a modest east coast "ethic", you'll likely be a rock star in your new job. I'm still amazed how people at work think I am going the "extra mile" when I'm just doing what I would think is the minimum required.

The skies are endless. From my house up on the West Mesa, I can see the Sangre de Cristos 70 miles to the north and Sierra Ladrones 50 miles south. Not to even mention the stunning Sandia's that dominate the daily views to the east. I came from a "Medium-size" city of about the same size (500-600k people) so I was actually surprised to find I had more at my fingertips then back home. Will you find amenities that you have in Boston..... Not a chance. But still, you can easily live and get along fine here.

The beauty here is enchanting, but if you do not like the color brown...... you might struggle. If you have an open mind, like plenty of sunshine and like perfect 4 perfect seasons, it certainly could be a place for you.

[Poncho_NM]

Originally Posted by Mavs00

The beauty here is enchanting, but if you do not like the color brown...... you might struggle.

I think of it as 65 shades of tan...



We have some green:

[lizzytish]

I too felt that New Mexico offered things that the East coast did not - wide open spaces, big sky, laid back & friendly people. It resonated with me, and that is what you have to decide......does it work for you?

[elkotronics]

Oh, there's green in a lot of NM places. One that comes ta mind right now is our neighboring town of Tularosa. In fact it's one of the reasons I like Tulie so much, green trees abound. Tularosa is about 13 miles north of us here in Alamogordo on Highway 70/54.

[Mavs00]

Originally Posted by Poncho_NM

I think of it as 65 shades of tan...



We have some green:

Originally Posted by elkotronics

Oh, there's green in a lot of NM places. One that comes ta mind right now is our neighboring town of Tularosa. In fact it's one of the reasons I like Tulie so much, green trees abound. Tularosa is about 13 miles north of us here in Alamogordo on Highway 70/54.

With all due respect, by east coast standards, there is not a lot of green here (at all). I'm always struck by the contrast when I go back east. Don't get me wrong though, I do not view this as a bad thing. Living in say, Albuquerque as I do, I hardly notice it on a day-to-day basis driving in the innards of town as they have nicely have created lots of parks and green space, but there is no escaping that I live in a very arid place. To me, that's part of the charm. While you will see green here, it's in much more limited quantity then back in the NE.

I've done a fair bit of traveling & hiking around the state too and there are a few pockets of places that surprisingly remind me of back home though. There are a few places that I have been in the Gila N.F. (N. of Silver City) that have rolling green farmland and trees that are very much like the rolling hills of Western NY. Hiking in the mountain areas of the Sangres or the Jemez, once you get up to a certain elevation, it has a very cozy "Adirondack" and even NH/ME Mountain feel to it.

Chances are you won't live in these areas though as they are very rural (unless you are a retired recluse), but still they are certainly available to you if you need a "taste of green". Overall, it's not that big of a deal to me. The history, the culture, the food........ all of which is so distinct and good (IMO) that it outweighs any of the negatives. I appreciate my trips back east, but other then visiting family, I'm always in a hurry to get back out here. I'd certainly visit here first though.

Someone told me this once and I believe it to be very true - You don't choose New Mexico, it chooses you.

You will know after a short visit if this is the case for you.

[AlisonL]

We moved out here from Maine in 2008. Lived in Rio Rancho the first three years and then moved to a small town just outside Silver City. We're in the mountains and have tree all around us. Not the huge pines of Maine, but smaller ones. Also have a lot of elm and cottonwood trees.

I drove back to Maine this summer for a week long visit and felt so "closed in" by all the trees. Once you get used to the wide open spaces, anything else makes me feel fenced in.

There are a few drawbacks to living in my area. Mainly the lack of decent stores. but Las Cruces is just an hour and half away. And Silver City could use a real good Italian restaurant, in my opinion. Its rural here, but we wanted rural. Not city folks by any means; and we plan to retire here when the time comes.

The people in NM are much friendlier than back east. You won't find many who live the lifestyle of keeping up with the Jones'es; thank goodness. The ones who do that are usually transplants.

If you haven't visited, do so. I moved here sight unseen, but my husband had been out to look around; and he knows me well enough to know if I would like something or not. I stepped off the plane and fell in love.

[BeantownJoe]

Sounds great. I am going to need to take a scouting trip.